Electric bed

ABSTRACT

An electric bed includes a fixation rack, a back supporting rack swingably disposed to the fixation rack, a head supporting rack swingably disposed to the back supporting rack, an actuator for driving the back supporting rack to swing relative to the fixation rack, a slider disposed to the fixation rack in a way that the slider is forward and backward slidable relative to the fixation rack and being provided with a cam portion, a link pivotally connected with the back supporting rack and the slider to allow the slider to move forward and backward along with the swing of the back supporting rack, a push rod disposed to the back supporting rack and being movable forward and backward, and a front extension rod pivotally connected with the push rod and the head supporting rack.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an electric bed and more particularly, to an electric bed having a function of uplifting an individual's head.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many conventional electric beds having swingable back supporting portions enable a user to sit or lie down easily and effortlessly. Some of the conventional electric beds are further capable of lifting up or down an individual's legs and/or head so as to allow a user to sit or lie down in the most comfortable posture according to his/her actual need. However, a commercially available electric bed capable of lifting up and down an individual's head has an operation that lifting up of the individual's back is performed after lifting up of the individual's head. That is to say, when the individual's back is lifted up, the individual's head has already been lifted up. Thus, this kind of electric bed cannot satisfy the requirement of a user if he/she only wants to lift up his/her back. On the other hand, a conventional electric bed only capable of lifting up an individual's back also cannot satisfy a user's requirement if he/she intends to lift up his/her head in the future.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure has been accomplished in view of the above-noted circumstances. It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide an electric bed, which can lift up and down an individual's back and head and has an operation that the lifting up of the individual's head is performed after lifting up of the individual's back.

To attain the above objective, the present disclosure provides an electric bed, which comprises a fixation rack, a back supporting rack, a head supporting rack, an actuator, a slider, a link, a push rod and a front extension rod. The back supporting rack is swingably disposed to a front end of the fixation rack and has a first extending portion. The head supporting rack is swingably disposed to a front end of the back supporting rack. The actuator has two ends disposed to the fixation rack and the back supporting rack respectively, such that the back supporting rack is driven by the actuator to swing relative to the fixation rack. The slider is disposed to the fixation rack in a way that the slider is forward and backward slidable relative to the fixation rack, the slider is provided with a cam portion. The link has two ends pivotally connected with the first extending portion of the back supporting rack and the slider respectively, such that the slider is moveable forward and backward along with the swing of the back supporting rack. The push rod is disposed to the back supporting rack in a way that the push rod is movable forward and backward, the push rod has a front end and a rear end. The front extension rod has two ends pivotally connected with the front end of the push rod and the head supporting rack. When the back supporting rack is driven to swing upward, the slider moves forward with the cam portion abutting against the rear end of the push rod to force the push rod to move forward relative to the back supporting rack. The front extension rod then moves forward relative to the back supporting rack to result in that the head supporting rack swings upward relative to the back supporting rack.

With the foregoing structural features of the present disclosure, the electric bed is capable of lifting up and down an individual's back and head and has an operation that the lifting up of the individual's head is performed after lifting up of the individual's back. More specifically, the head supporting rack can begin to swing upward relative to the back support rack while the back supporting rack swings upward to a certain extent. Therefore, if a user only wants to lift up his/her back, he/she only have to control the back supporting rack to swing within an extent that the head supporting rack does not start to swing. Conversely, if the user wants to lift up his/her back and head, he/she only have to control the back supporting rack to swing to an extent that the head supporting rack starts to swing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an electric bed according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, on which a bed board is placed;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the electric bed of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial enlarged bottom views of the electric bed of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a lateral plan view showing the electric bed of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a lateral plan view showing a motion (the head supporting rack does not swing upward relative to the back supporting rack) of the electric bed;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the electric bed of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a lateral plan view showing another motion (the head supporting rack swing upward relative to the back supporting rack) of the electric bed; and

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the electric bed of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electric bed 1 provided by a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a fixation rack 10, a back supporting rack 20, a head supporting rack 30, an actuator 40, a slider 50, two links 60, a push rod 70, and a front extension rod 80. A bed board 90 is placed on the electric bed 1. The electric bed shown in FIG. 1 can be applied as a front part adapted to be cooperated with a rear part that may include such as a thigh supporting rack and a lower leg supporting rack for supporting a user's leg (now shown). Hereunder the left side of FIG. 1 is defined as a forth direction or a front direction of the electric bed 1, and the right side of FIG. 1 is defined as a back direction or a rear direction of the electric bed 1.

The fixation rack 10 is constructed by a plurality of rods 12 connected together and includes four bed legs 14 and a slide slot 15 extending forward and backward. The fixation rack 10 stays stationary on a floor for being mounted and/or connected with the back supporting rack 20 or other components.

The back supporting rack 20 is swingably disposed to a front end 16 of the fixation rack 10 and has a stopping portion 21, two first extending portions 22, two second extending portions 24, and two third extending portions 26. Two clamped rollers 221 are disposed between two first extending portions 22. Each of the second extending portions 24 is provided with an elongated groove 241. In this embodiment, each of the first extending portions 24 and the third extending portions 26 has, but not limited to, a sickle-like shape, and the stopping portion 21 is embodied as a rod. The construction and shape of the stopping portion 21 may be varied depending on actual requirements.

The head supporting rack 30 is swingably disposed to a front end 28 of the back supporting rack 20 and has two lower extending portions 32. The stopping portion 21 is located under the head supporting rack 30. When the head supporting rack 30 abuts against the stopping portion 21, the head supporting rack 30 cannot swing downward relative to the back supporting rack 20.

The actuator 40 has two ends pivotally connected with the fixation rack 10 and the back supporting rack 20, such that the back supporting rack 20 is driven by the actuator 40 to swing relative to the fixation rack 10. In this embodiment, the actuator 40 includes a cylindrical body 42 and a telescopic rod 44 extending forward from the cylindrical body 42. The cylindrical body 42 is pivotally connected with the fixation rack 10, and an outer end of the telescopic rod 44 is pivotally connected between the two third extending portions 26 of the back supporting rack 20. In other feasible embodiment, the actuator 40 is arranged in a reverse orientation. Under this circumstance, the telescopic rod 44 extends backwardly from the cylindrical body 42, and the outer end of the telescopic rod 44 is pivotally connected with the fixation rack 10 and the cylindrical body 42 is pivotally connected with the third extending portions 26. In still another embodiment, the back supporting rack 20 has no such third extending portions 26, and the actuator 40 is pivotally connected with the other part of the back supporting rack 20.

The slider 50 is disposed to the fixation rack 10 in a way that the slider 50 is forward and backward slidable relative to the fixation rack, and is provided with a cam portion 52.

Each of the two links 60 has one end pivotally connected with the first extending portion 22, and the other end pivotally connected with the slider 50, such that the slider 50 is movable forward and backward along with the swing of the back supporting rack 20. In this embodiment, the two links 60 are pivotally connected with the slider 50 by a pin 65 that is slidably inserted through the slide slot 15 of the fixation rack 10 and the slider 50. By means of the pin 65 that is reciprocally slidable in the slide slot 15, the slider 50 can be moved accordingly.

The push rod 70 is disposed to the back supporting rack 20 in a way that the push rod 70 is movable forward and backward. The push rod 70 has a front end 72 and a rear end 74 provided with a roller 741 that is capable of abutting against the cam portion 52 of the slider 50. The push rod 70 is clamped between the clamped rollers 221 of the first extending portion 22, as shown in FIG. 3.

The front extension rod 80 has a rear end pivotally connected with the front end 72 of the push rod 70, and a front end pivotally connected with the lower extending portions 32 of the head supporting rack 30. In this embodiment, referring to FIG. 4, the rear end of the front extension rod 80 is connected with the front end 72 of the push rod 70 by a pin 85 that is reciprocally slidably inserted through the two extending portions 24 of the back supporting rack 20 and the elongated groove 241. When the pin 85 moves in the elongated groove 241, the push rod 70 and the front extension rod 80 moves forward and backward synchronously. In other feasible embodiment, the connecting way between the push rod 70 and the front extension rod 80 is not limited to the foregoing and may be varied depending on actual requirements. For example, the back supporting rack 20 may have no such two second extending portions 24, and under this circumstance, the push rod 70 and the front extension rod 80 may be pivotally connected with the other part of the back supporting rack 20. Or, the head supporting rack 30 may have no such two lower extending portions 32, and under this circumstance, the front end of the front extension rod 80 may pivotally connected with the other part the head supporting rack 30.

The bed board 90 includes a head plate 92 disposed on the head supporting rack 30, a back plate 94 disposed on the back supporting rack 20, and a hip plate 96 disposed on the fixation rack 10. The head plate 92 is driven to swing by the head supporting rack 30, the back plate 94 is driven to swing by the back supporting rack 20, and the hip plate 96 stays stationary. In other feasible embodiment, the bed board 90 may be further provided with a thigh plate, a lower leg plate, etc.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the electric bed 1 is not in motion, the head plate 92 and the back plate 94 are horizontal and are substantially flush with the hip plate 96, and the telescopic rod 44 does not extend outwardly from the cylindrical body 42. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, when the electric bed 1 is in motion, the telescopic rod 44 extends forward from the cylindrical body 42 to push the third extending portions 26, the back supporting rack 20 is then forced to swing upward relative to the fixation rack 10, and simultaneously, the first extending portions 22 of the back supporting rack 20 pull the links 60, such that the pin 65 slides in the slide slot 15 and the slider 50 is driven to move forward. The clamped rollers 221 clamp the push rod 70 to prevent the lateral movement of the push rod 70 and roll along an outer surface of the push rod 70 in such a way that the push rod 70 is movable forward and backward. At this time, although the head supporting rack 30 is driven by the back supporting rack 20 to swing upward relative to the fixation rack 10, the head supporting rack 30 still abuts against the stopping portion 21 and does not swing relative to the back supporting rack 20 since the roller 741 located at the rear end 74 of the push rod 70 has not yet abutted against the cam portion 52. Next, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, when the telescopic rod 44 extends forward continuously from the cylindrical body 42, the back supporting rack 20 is continuously driven to swing upward relative to the fixation rack 10 till the cam portion 52 of the slider 50 abuts against the roller 74 located at the rear end 74 of the push rod 70, such that the push rod 70 moves forward relative to the back supporting rack 20, the roller 741 rolls along the cam portion 52, and the pin 85 is simultaneously forced by the push rod 70 to slide forward in the elongated groove 241. As a result, the front extension rod 80 is driven to move forward relative to the back supporting rack 20 so as to force the head supporting rack 30 to swing upward relative to the back supporting rack 20. In this regard, it can be understood that the swing amplitude of the head supporting rack 30 actually depends on the shape and/or the construction of the cam portion 52. Further, the earlier the cam portion 52 comes into contact with the roller 741, the earlier the head supporting rack 30 swings upward. It is to be noted that the back supporting rack 20 is continuously driven to swing upward relative to the fixation rack 10 while the head supporting rack 30 swings upward relative to the back supporting rack 20.

As such, the electric bed 1 of the present disclosure can lift up and down an individual's back and head, and has an operation that lifting up of the individual's back is performed after lifting up of the individual's head. That is to say, when the back supporting rack 20 swings upward till the slider 50 abuts against the roller 741, the head supporting rack 30 begins to swing upward relative to the back supporting rack 20. Therefore, if a user only wants to lift up his/her back, he/she only have to control the back supporting rack 20 to swing on condition that the slider 50 does not come into contact with the roller 741. Conversely, if the user wants to lift up his/her back and head, he/she only have to control the back supporting rack 20 to swing continuously till the slider 50 comes into contact with the roller 741.

The procedure that the electric bed 1 returns to the state shown in FIG. 5 from the state of FIG. 8 is substantially opposite to the foregoing. Specifically, the telescopic rod 44 starts to retract backward to the cylindrical 42, the head supporting rack 30 then starts to swing downward relative to the back supporting rack 20 until the head supporting rack 30 abuts against the stopping portion 21 and thus cannot swing downward anymore. The back supporting rack 20 starts to swing downward relative to the fixation rack 10 as the telescopic rod 44 continuously retracts back into the cylindrical 42, and finally returns to the state shown in FIG. 5. It is to be noted that, the back supporting rack 20 swings downward relative to the fixation rack 10 while the head supporting rack 30 swings downward relative to the back supporting rack 20.

According to the technical features of the present disclosure, modifications to the structure of the electric bed 1 may be available. For instance, the two clamped rollers 221 can be omitted. The number of the lower extending portion 32, the first extending portion 22, the second extending portion 24 and the third extending portion 26 can be modified in accordance with the actual need. The roller 741 located at the rear end 74 of the push rod 70 can be omitted as long as the rear end 74 can abut against the cam portion 52 of the slider 50. The connecting way between the link 60 and the slider 50 is not limited and may be varied depending on actual requirements. The fixation rack 10 may be provided with no such slide slot 15, but be provided with a structure similar to a slider track for the slider 50. The stopping portion 21 can be omitted, under this circumstance, the head supporting rack 30 may not swing downward excessively relative to the back supporting rack 20 as long as the cam portion 52 abuts against the roller 741. In this regard, it can be understood that the shape and the construction of the cam portion 52 can be modified in accordance with the actual need.

The disclosure being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electric bed comprising: a fixation rack having a front end; a back supporting rack swingably disposed to the front end of the fixation rack and having a first extending portion and a front end; a head supporting rack swingably disposed to the front end of the back supporting rack; an actuator having two ends disposed to the fixation rack and the back supporting rack respectively, such that the back supporting rack is driven by the actuator to swing relative to the fixation rack; a slider disposed to the fixation rack in a way that the slider is forward and backward slidable relative to the fixation rack, the slider being provided with a cam portion; a link having two ends pivotally connected with the first extending portion of the back supporting rack and the slider respectively, such that the slider is movable forward and backward along with the swing of the back supporting rack; a push rod disposed to the back supporting rack in a way that the push rod is movable forward and backward, the push rod having a front end and a rear end; and a front extension rod having two ends pivotally connected with the front end of the push rod and the head supporting rack respectively; wherein when the back supporting rack is driven to swing upward, the slider moves forward with the cam portion abutting against the rear end of the push rod to force the push rod to move forward relative to the back supporting rack, the front extension rod then moves forward relative to the back supporting rack to result in that the head supporting rack swings upward relative to the back supporting rack.
 2. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extending portion of the back supporting rack is provided with two clamped rollers, between which the push rod is clamped.
 3. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the back supporting rack has a second extending portion provided with an elongated groove; the push rod is connected with the front extension rod by a pin that is reciprocally slidably inserted through the elongated groove.
 4. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the back supporting rack has a stopping portion located under the head supporting rack; when the head supporting rack abuts against the stopping portion, the head supporting rack is prohibited from swinging downward relative to the back supporting rack.
 5. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixation rack has a slide slot; the link is pivotally connected with the slider by a pin that is reciprocally slidably inserted through the slide slot.
 6. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear end of the push rod is provided with a roller for abutting against the cam portion of the slider.
 7. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head supporting rack has a lower extending portion; one of the two ends of the front extension rod is pivotally connected with the lower extending portion of the head supporting rack.
 8. The electric bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the back supporting rack has a third extending portion; one of the two ends of the actuator is pivotally connected with the third extending portion of the back supporting rack. 